Pages On This Site

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Today I'm pleased to bring you a writer interview with speculative novelist and poet A.L. Kaplan! A. L. Kaplan’s love of books started as a child and sparked a creative imagination. Born on a cold winter morning in scenic northern New Jersey, her stories and poems have been included in several anthologies and magazines. Her novel, Star-touched, was released October 1, 2017. She is the Maryland Writers’ Association’s Chapter/Board liaison and served on the Howard County Chapter board for several years. A. L. is a member of Broad Universe and holds an MFA in sculpture from the Maryland Institute College of Art. When not writing or indulging in her fascination with wolves, A.L. is the props manager for a local theatre. This proud mother of two lives in Maryland with her husband and dog.

1. You have only three minutes to convince a stranger to read your latest work. What do you tell them about your writing, and about yourself, to get them interested?

Eighteen-year old Tatiana is running from her past and her Star-touched powers eight years after a meteor devastates earth’s population. Gifted with the ability to both heal and destroy, Tatiana seeks refuge in a town she once visited. But this civil haven, in a world where society has broken down, is beginning to crumble.

I had no idea that we’d have so many natural disasters or that huge asteroids would be flying so close to earth this year when I wrote Star Touched. It’s rather frightening how many similarities there are to what’s going on now both environmentally and politically.

2. Your spaceship can travel to any world, real or imagined. Where do you go?

I’d love to travel inside my mind and find out what’s going on in there.

3. What was your favorite book you that read as a child? What have you read recently that you can recommend?
I grew up reading James Herriot, Jack London, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Albert Payson Turhune, and of course J. R. R. Tolkien. Lord of the Rings may have birthed my love of fantasy, but there are three other books I read that were a huge influence: Island of the Blue Dolphins, My Side of the Mountain, and Julie of the Wolves. I guess I have a thing for kids surviving on their own in the wild. My favorite musicals are about orphans as well: Annie and Oliver.

There have been several books I’ve read recently that have been really good. The House on Moss Swamp Road by M J Patrick comes to mind, as does The Fuller’s Apprentice, by Angela Holder, The Enchanted Dagger by Vonnie Winslow Crist, and Dawn Study by Maria V. Snyder. I don’t often read non-fiction, but The Strong Woman Trap: A Feminist Guide for Getting Your Life Back by Sasha Mobley was very enlightening. I could go on, but there is only so much space in your blog.

4. How do you meet and stay engaged with other writers?
I’m very active in the Maryland Writers’ Association at the state and chapter level. I’m also in a critique group and am a member of Broad Universe. I’ve made some great friends at conventions like the MWA Writing Conference and fan-based cons like Balticon. This year I’ve been invited as a participant at Raven Con in Williamsburg on April 20 – 22, and Balticon in Baltimore, Maryland on Memorial Day weekend. I’m really looking forward to them. Book festival are a great way to meet people as well, and Facebook makes it easy to stay in touch and find out what other writers are up to.

5. What is a quote that resonates with you - either from yourself or someone else?

“Be who you are.” It’s an important theme in Star Touched. My main character, Tatiana, is afraid to be who she really is. It’s one of the quotes I sign in my books. It’s also on my license plate. (A birthday present from my husband this year.)

6. Do you have a personal symbol or icon with which you identify?

I don’t know about an icon or symbol, but I do feel a connection to wolves. When I was in high school I had a dream about wolves. The next day I went to the library and started reading. The more I learned, the more I liked. My collection now includes books, art, toys, and a few odd things like a howling cookie jar. Wolves have also inspired several stories, including my short story, Wolf Dawn, which is in the Young Adventurers: Heroes, Explorers, and Swashbucklers anthology.

7. How do you find good new reads in your genres of choice?

There are several places to find new books. Friends recommendations, perusing the stacks in a bookstore or library, Goodreads, and of course, talking to authors. There’s a lot out there. I also look for those free book days. If I like that first one I’ll by others by the same author.

8. What is one thing that really scares you?

That would be tornados. I’ve never seen one, but they really freak me out.

9. Which conferences/book fairs/meetings do you try to never miss each year?

Balticon has always been my go to.

10. You have a magic wand that can cast only one kind of spell. What does your wand do?

My wand has the ability to cast unlimited heal spells that can also cure illnesses like cancer, AIDS, and depression.

Monday, February 5, 2018

I'm honored to present a blog interview with Haunted writer Shadow Leitner! She graciously posted an interview with me on her excellent blog Dark Inklings, and I'm so happy to have her here today - so read on to learn about Shadow, her haunted writing, and what really scares her :)

Shadow Leitner spent over a
decade in the performing arts but left the stage for the page to write Paranormal,
Sci-Fi/Fantasy and Gothic Romance novels for Young and New Adults, and thoroughly
enjoys torturing her imaginary characters with love and other peculiar
things. She also creates beautifully
haunting art with her iPhone, consumes absurd amounts of coffee, and is enchanted
by all things vintage, old world and macabre. She’s also quite fond of
nonsense literature. Well, all sorts of nonsense really. Shadow
haunts from Maryland, with her husband, their two spawn, and a menagerie of
mostly domesticated creatures.

1. You have only three
minutes to convince a stranger to read your latest work.What do you tell them about your writing, and
about yourself, to get them interested?

I am Beautifully Haunted.
Eventually, the voices in my head make it to the page where they can haunt you,
too.

2. Your spaceship can
travel to any world, real or imagined.Where do you go?

I travel to a steampunk world where the cities and towns
float in the air. There I own a Victorian mansion which I open-up as bread
& breakfast for other airship travelers.

3. What was your
favorite book you that read as a child?What have you read recently that you can recommend?

I was a bookworm growing up, so I have many, many favorites,
but the first book I remember having a real impact on me was Shadow Castle by Marian Cockrell. It’s
about a fairy prince who marries a human princess and trouble ensues.

Where to start, I’ve read so many great books lately. I just
finished The Mara Dyer Trilogy and
started the first book of its companion series The Noah Shaw Confessions by Michelle Hodkins.They are YA and deliciously dark. I’m in love
and dying for the next one to be released. In the adult, more ghostly realm, I’ve
recently finished and highly recommend The
Haunting of Maddy Clare and Silence for
the Dead by Simone St. James.

4. How do you meet and
stay engaged with other writers?

Well, it works like this, I stalk my favorite authors,
wrestle them to the ground, chain them in my basement and like that we are
besties. Okay, not really, that would be creepy. Don’t do that.

The real answer is I belong to author organizations and
attend meetings, conferences, etc.I
write a blog for Dark & Gothic Writers called Dark Inklings where I get to
hang out with other cool Night Writers. And yes, I do totally stalk other
authors, but in the nice, safe (for them) environment of the internet and
social media.

5. What is a quote that
resonates with you - either from yourself or someone else?

So the darkness shall be the light. – T.S. Elliot

6. Do you have a
personal symbol or icon with which you identify?

White spiders. Though I’ve never really thought of them as a
personal symbol or icon and I’m not particularly fond of them, either. However,
they seem to have an affinity for me and show up often. I certainly sit up to
take notice when they do. I’ve come to accept them, seeing them as messengers,
who let me know when I’m on the right track.

I’m also very fond of black hearts.

7. How do you find good
new reads in your genres of choice?

Well, there is this place where all the available space is
covered in books and all of them are free. FREE. Maybe you’ve heard of it. It
is called the Library, and while I could literally set up a cot and live there,
I don’t have to, because I can take the books home with me. I promise this
place is not a figment of my imagination. It’s real. One should really check it
out. ;)

I refer to Goodreads a good bit, as well. Come friend me and
we can share all the books. Muahaha.

8. What is one thing
that really scares you?

Being eaten alive by zombies and tornadoes, but then that
would be two things. So let’s stick with zombies because they really freak me
the f**k out.

9. You can create the
perfect one-week writing retreat - describe what makes it ideal for you.

The perfect retreat would to be holed up in a historical
place, such as a Victorian mansion or castle with roaring fires and plenty of
coffee. Being in such a surrounding the stories almost vibrate out of me and
reverberate off the walls, but then that might be coffee. It’s hard to tell.

10. Which
conferences/book fairs/meetings do you try to never miss each year?

A new one for me, but one I don’t plan on missing is
HallowReads. There are many others I haven’t been to but would love to attend.

11. You have a magic wand
that can cast only one kind of spell.What does your wand do?

Thursday, January 25, 2018

On January 21st of this year, Rocket Lab (on their debut launch) orbited several satellites, including a secret payload. This (no longer secret) object is named the Humanity Star - and it has the potential to be one of the brightest objects in the night sky (as noted here).

My usual reaction whenever I see science and art brought together is glee. I am a scientist and an artist, and I love both. But I don't feel gleeful about this particular piece.

As both an astronomer and an education/communications specialist, I have some strong feelings about this object now orbiting our planet - especially because of the way it was launched. A secret launch means no important conversations take place about the object, how it will be perceived, and its eventual consequences. I'm going to repeat that, because this is the whole point of my post: critical conversations with all stakeholders must take place as space exploration moves forward. And if what you are doing can affect the whole planet, then the world becomes your stakeholder.

In the Quartz article on the Humanity Star, Peter Beck, the CEO of Rocket Lab is quoted as saying, "For us to thrive and
survive, we need to make big decisions in the context of humanity as a
whole, not in the context of individuals, organizations or even nations.
…We must come together as a species to solve the really big issues like
climate change and resource shortages.”

These sentiments are certainly fine things, and I completely agree. But the Humanity Star may not inspire this kind of thinking. Will a person in another space-faring country, say India or China, look up, and upon seeing a new, bright satellite, think about our communal responsibilities for climate change? Will they imagine themselves as part of a global community? Will they be angry for an overbearing demonstration of technology? Will they be afraid at what we might do next? Will they be appalled at our lack of respect for the sacred night sky? Well, we don't know. We don't know because those conversations did not happen in advance of launch.

What about other kinds of stakeholders, say like space scientists? Well, that conversation didn't take place before launch either, since astronomers are expressing displeasure. Some people are describing it as "litter" or even "vandalism." This article in mashable.com gives some details about the feeling of astronomers, and how Rocket Lab appears to be scrambling to put minds at ease. This reaction might have been completely avoidable had the conversation with this group of people happened as it should have.

I am astonished at the last few sentences of the Quartz article on the Humanity Star, which unintentionally serve to underscore my point. The article states: "The first artificial satellite, Sputnik, was a mission with a similar
effect: Its radio broadcast was designed to say “I’m here!” to the
world, as well as provide data to scientists on the ground. It turned
out to be a harbinger of a space race that created most of the space
infrastructure we have now. Is the Humanity Star a herald a new age of
commercial space flight and ambition?"

This is an eye-popping interpretation of the intention and result of the orbit of Sputnik. The satellite was launched at the height of the cold war, and it engendered anxiety, fear, and apprehension in half of the world. It indeed began the space race - but this was not a time of good-natured exploration. It was a time of governments flexing their muscles and each attempting to demonstrate ideological superiority through technological advancement and achievement. Our space infrastructure came at this high cost. Will the Humanity Star have this kind of legacy? We don't know, because again, no one was asked how they might feel to have this object over their heads.

Successful programs in space science education, communications, and outreach all have formal evaluation as part of their structure. Such evaluation allows a program, especially in the crucial beginning phases, to react and respond to input from stakeholders. The eventual program may look very, very different from the initial concepts because you found out things from your stakeholders that never occurred to you. (For example, when Gene Shoemaker's ashes were sent to the Moon, the Navajo expressed displeasure, and NASA formally apologized. Such a disconnect is avoidable if channels of communication are open.) Why didn't the Humanity Star have an engaged, international evaluation program that allowed it to learn what would indeed inspire global unity? Why didn't it build a positive audience ahead of time? With the goals as stated by the CEO, such evaluation was essential to success. Evaluation didn't happen. Why?

A few more things of note. The Humanity Star will burn up in our atmosphere within the year, so this situation is temporary. Yet the artist is planning to launch yet another, larger piece of space art. There is no indication that critical conversations have happened around this piece.

As we move forward with space exploration, we need to be as inclusive as possible, or the voices of most of the planet will not go forward with us into space. We need to have the tough conversations before each endeavor. If we do this right, we will indeed engender unity. As we have these conversations, we will discover our global vision for space exploration. It will be something amazing, a vision we cannot even conceive without the input of all kinds of people. So let's take the responsibility to seek out and have the conversations now.

Sunday, January 21, 2018

The Howard County Chapter of the Maryland Writer's Association had its first meeting of 2018 on January 18. We were treated to an excellent presentation entitled "Creating Your Social Media Roadmap" by Tiffany Carter. More than just an introduction to creating a media platform, Tiffany gave us some insight into how to make it really work for us.

Here is just a bit of what she shared, starting with her approach of: Platform - Schedule - Automate - Connect.

Platform - She listed six platforms as high priority for writers and authors: a personal blog, Facebook, Linked In, Twitter, Goodreads, and Instagram. The advice was to pick two of these and maintain them well, rather than try to do them all at a shallow level. She suggested the two most powerful platforms were: (1) having a website "home" with a personal blog and (2) an active presence on Goodreads.

Schedule - But the emphasis regardless of platform was on consistency. Pick the platforms you can engage with the most robustly. Her advice was to create a schedule for posts/tweets/content and stick to it. This ensures that followers and fans know when and where to find your content. When is somewhat flexible, although she had recommendations (like posting once a day if doing Facebook or Linked In) she said the key was making sure followers were getting the content when they had come to expect it.

Automate - Of course staying consistent with media is always a challenge. Tiffany gave us some tips for automation, like connecting blog posts to Goodreads and Linked In, and using tools like Buffer. I know I've used HootSuite in the past with some success to automate tweets. She said that once set up, a writer could spend as little as an hour and have the rest of the week's media scheduled and automated to post. I'd love to reach that point ... I'm certainly not that efficient now with posting.

Connect - Connecting with fans and followers is obviously the point of all of this. Writers want to meet people and forge connections that lead to authentic interaction. Being efficient about posting means that time can be spent in the kinds of interactions that are rewarding for both writers and their followers. Tiffany said that a good foundation of quality content, delivered on schedule, including guest blogging, blog tours, and even pod casting would support more 'rapid' forms of exposure like live video/audio, book promotions, and giveaways.

Finally, she emphasized that we are of course all readers. She reminded us that we already know what our fans want, because we are readers, too. We know what works with us - how we get engaged, how we have fun, and what we are looking for from books and authors. We just need to put those ideas into motion for ourselves as writers.

I thought her presentation was really valuable, and certainly the rest of the room received it enthusiastically. I hope she comes back to the group and shows us more advanced techniques for making the most of our time online.

Image Credits: Publicity image of Tiffany Carter from MWA HoCo flyer. Image of Tiffany Carter from her workshop taken by myself and posted with permission.

Sunday, January 7, 2018

Here's me with planetary astronomer and asteroid
scientist Andy Rivkin, waiting on the dais for the start
of our Mars exploration panel.

Someone said something nice to me on New Year's Day and I'm still floating with joy.

Here's some context. I ended 2017 and started 2018 by attending an innovative private event with panels, talks, workshops, and much more - covering topics from science, to mental health, to social justice. Even as a first timer I was a part of two panels and gave a workshop. I met fantastic people and left with a mind full of ideas.

But one of those panels I was on was a bit daunting - it was a Mars exploration panel. There were only two women (including myself) out of nine panelists, and represented on the panel were NASA officials past and present, an astronaut, and more. I was the only person on the panel I'd call a planetary surface scientist. I was the only one who could really speak to the research and analysis aspects specific to the lunar and Martian surfaces. Because of these factors, I felt a strong responsibility to hold my own amidst some strong personalities. I wanted to represent science and the women who do it, well.

So, okay. The stage is literally set. We are up on a dais before a lunchtime crowd of about 250 intelligent and attentive people. My first major "intervention" is when someone on the other end of the panel says that basic science research is not as important to Mars exploration as engineering and propulsion research. I can't let that sit, and take the microphone. I remind him that without science we wouldn't even know something as basic as what we were landing on. I briefly mention dust as an example - the dust the Apollo astronauts ended up breathing and even eating when it made its way via electrostatic effects right into the lunar module. This is also the dust that will be gumming up gears and other mechanical devices in any exploration effort, lunar or Martian. And given it's insulating properties, this is the dust that explorers may be hiding under to escape temperature extremes and radiation hazards. We know a lot less about Martian dust than lunar. Research science to characterize this stuff is critical.

My last major "intervention" happened when a panelist near me responded to the question, "What are the moral or ethical considerations of Mars exploration?" His response was basically, "Well, if there is no life already on Mars, then there are no issues." I was astonished and grabbed the mic, following up with something like, "Actually, there are a variety of moral or ethical considerations to space exploration. Here is an example. We impacted a spacecraft on the Moon that was also was carrying the ashes of a famous scientist. No cultural dialog was engaged before the decision was made, and when certain communities found out after the fact, they were very unhappy. Some Native American groups protested because they view the Moon as sacred, and did not feel placing someone's ashes there was appropriate. We can't continue to make mistakes like this. Scientists, engineers, and administrators are becoming more and more aware of the need to reach out and have diverse conversations as we continue to explore. We must make these conversations a priority."

I left the dais at the end of the panel feeling a bit strange, and wondering if I'd done well in such august company, and achieved my goals of representing the voice of women scientists in a positive fashion.

Okay, so punchline finally after all this. I was approached after midnight on New Year's Eve, just minutes into the start of 2018. The woman who addressed me gushed about the Mars exploration panel. She said how excited she was to see my good representation of women scientists, and how I'd done an excellent job - especially with the "morality and ethics" question. She shook my hand enthusiastically.

Does this seem like a small thing to you? Or maybe I just don't have a habit of taking compliments to heart ... but this one hit home with a nice warm sparkle. Wow. So I'm headed into the New Year with a huge boost to my sense of agency in the world, and just general good feels. I'm wishing the same for you, as we continue to navigate our way through a challenging world this 2018.

Thursday, January 4, 2018

So back in 2016 I gave my best friend a gift - it was a promise of a new twitter question each day to which the two of us could respond. The idea was to get to know one another, and our interested followers, just a little bit better.

Well, that lasted into March maybe, before we lost track and stopped. But it was, as they say, fun while it lasted. So now that the dust has settled on the start of 2018, we are going to give it another try this year. This time around we are going to use monthly themes to give us something to focus our thoughts, and to hopefully keep us going through all of 2018.

The challenge, if you want to join in, is this: I'll tweet a question, and you tweet an answer, citing the original question. Give it the hashtag of #JATOTD - that's "Jen/Andy's Tweet of the Day." And that's all there is to it. Don't feel you need to take the question literally. Actually, feel free to tweet whatever works for you, just using the question as inspiration, if you like.

We are going to try to see what we can do to be genuine, authentic, helpful, and maybe even uplifting. It's just a small space to connect, express, and be real.

January's theme is "Travel" because it seems like that's pretty much what we do these days. I'm wondering how we can refocus on all this travel, and remind ourselves what it can to open our eyes, and more.

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Well movie lovers, we have come to the end of the list! Thirty-one movies for the thirty-one days of October! More than enough to keep us all busy for this season and no doubt some years to come. I thought I'd finish up with a few movies that are my kind of sheer Halloween fun.

As always, beware the SPOILERS below!

29. The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)

My love of all things stop-motion means I was already primed to love this claymation spoof of lycanthropic horror flicks. If you've seen the short films starring the inventor Wallace and his loyal and clever dog Gromit, then you know the kind of humor that awaits you in this full length movie.

Wallace and Gromit appear to be the only means of pest control for a small town of dedicated vegetable lovers. Self-proclaimed "simple folk," all the townspeople each dream that they might win the annual giant vegetable competition, and be awarded the golden carrot. It's a dream Gromit shares, as he tucks in his giant cucumber each night. "Pesto" pest control has the virtue of being humane, but this means that the house of W and G has now become home to what appear to be a hundred rambunctious rabbits. This can't end well.

W gets the idea that to stop the rabbit pest problem he can brainwash the rabbits, that way they will no longer desire produce, and the town's competition will be saved. W hooks himself up to a machine with him at one end and bunnies on the other. Of course the experiment goes awry, and one rabbit named "Hutch" becomes rather much more than just a simple bunny.

All this is a great setup for an amazing romp through the limits of clay animation, and more. The characters, like the clergyman, are engaging and fun. The horror tropes are exactly as one might expect for a werewolf horror movie, except it's all surrounding a wererabbit instead. The Clergyman makes a plea for repentance, saying it's the town's unnatural giant vegetables that have brought this curse down on them. It is he that supplies the bad guy with golden bullets (24 "carrot") to kill the rampaging beast. Meanwhile the hostess of the competition just wants everything to end humanely. W and G come to the rescue and, well, you better just go watch the movie for the punchline because for once I'm not putting it here.

This may be the only really G rated movie on my list, because even Snow White or The Wizard of Oz are scarier than this. But it is all done with such humor, insight, and perfect horror-trope jokes that it never misses a beat. A definite must for Halloween viewing fun!

30. Young Frankenstein (1974)

One of the greatest horror movie spoofs of all time, Young Frankenstein takes on the time honored Frankenstein's monster trope and takes it to the limit of comedic genius. This movie has aged so well one could imagine it being made exactly like this today. It gains much from being in black and white, just like the original movies it is ripping on.

First of all we encounter Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, who does not believe any of that shlock about his grandfather trying to raise the dead. Or does he? After inheriting the castle, the young doctor can't resist playing around with the old man's notes and seeing what transpires. It's clear from the beginning, watching him accidentally stab himself in the leg with a scalpel, that Fred is not entirely sane.

We meet his fiance Elizabeth, who cares more for her fine dresses than for Fred. We meet Igor, who (in one of my very favorite scenes) tries to eat Elizabeth's fox stole. We meet the assistant Inga, who becomes Fred's new love interest, and turns out to be surprisingly handy around the lab. We also meet the over the top housekeeper Frau Blücher, whose name causes horses to whinny in fear throughout the movie. Not to mention Inspector Kemp, who is hoping the new tenants of the castle aren't going to be raising any monsters. A bit late for that.

In fact the new monster (created with an "Abby Normal" brain) can sing and dance, and is generally a pretty nice guy until fire is involved. He gets startled and rampages, encountering scenes from the first two major Frankenstein movies, and dealing with them in his own fashion. Eventually lured back to the lab, the monster and Fred have a bit of a mind meld that allows the monster to gain a measure of Fred's intellect. This and the monster's rather overcharged libido attract Elizabeth's attention, and they eventually marry. Fred ends up with Inga, and they get to enjoy the effects of the mind melt where Fred has gained some of the monster's rampant libido.

31. The Addams Family (1991)

The Addams Family is one of my favorite Halloween movies, so it takes the position of number thirty-one on the Halloween list. The plot is totally unimportant here. What makes the film are the amazing characters, well acted and steeped in a fantastic environment. I find this movie even more entertaining than the original series.

The couple of Gomez and Morticia are priceless. Deeply in love in a totally creepy way (having met a funeral where Gomez was still a suspect for the murder) they are equally endearing and unsettling. While Pugsley isn't given much of a part to work with, the character of Wednesday is fantastically, strangely goth and she plays it perfectly straight. Include the freakish Fester who finds himself oddly compelled by the weird dynamic, and all is nearly complete. Of course there is a disembodied hand called Thing, and some other key players to round it all out.

It is all so over the top that it shouldn't work, but I find it does. The children playing in a lightning storm with a huge metal antenna, Wednesday trying to electrocute Pugsley to find out if there is a God, Morticia clipping the blooms off of roses and keeping the stems, Gomez driving golf balls into the neighbor's house, Morticia leading Fester through the family graveyard to help him understand the meaning of faith and unity ... it's all just too much fun. So if you want some extra weird and wonderful movie viewing for Halloween, work this one into your schedule.

Monday, October 30, 2017

Since I've included a number of fantasy films on my list, dark and otherwise, I've decided it's time to dip into the nexus of horror and science fiction. So for today I have three sci-fi films that have something "good" to offer my Halloween movie list. So let us march forward with the sci-fi movie fest!

Again, SPOILERS abound.

26. The Fly (1986)

The modern remake of the old classic movie is a fantastic decent into monster madness. Don't be fooled by the seemingly silly idea of a fly-man, because this is a truly gripping, gross, and gory horror classic. The special effects are still effective today, and the love story serves to help drive the plot forward, rather than being superfluous as is the case with so much horror.

The performances by our protagonists Seth and Veronica are excellent, with Veronica acting in ways that make sense to us as Seth slowly undergoes his terrifying and inexplicable transformation. Seth is of course the canonical brilliant but eccentric scientist who has created a means of teleportation via pods. He accidentally transports himself along with a fly, and he and it get their DNA mixed together. As the days go by, Veronica sees Seth at first seem more healthy and alive than ever, but soon he begins to degenerate. It is the way this degeneration is handled that brings us some of the great horror in the film. Seth's body (and mind) fall to pieces. He is so gruesome by the end of the film that it is almost a relief to see the actual fly emerge from what is left of his body.

With good pacing and some serious social undertones about sex and more, this is a nail-biter of a film that's worth a place on anybody's seasonal viewing list.

27. Mars Attacks (1996)

A dark comedy with wacky plot and even whackier characters, Mars Attacks is a wild romp of a "B" sci-fi horror homage. Pretty much everybody dies in this ray-gun filled farce, which isn't a problem since many of the characters are so stereotypical they feel more like cut-outs than people.

So the Martians have arrived, and the world waits to see what this means for humanity. We are introduced to our unbelievably star-studded cast, who are going about their various lives (including the President and his family, casino staff, scientists, reporters, and more). It does not take long for the brain-headed Martians to reveal their intentions - complete annihilation of all sentient life on Earth. They wipe out the US congress, and then move on to other nations, pretending to be interested in peace. Eventually they just start destroying stuff rampantly and conducting experiments on hapless captured humans. There is no hope until it is discovered that one piece of rather terrible music will make the Martians die gruesomely. The Earth is saved, although most of our cast has been vaporized, or had their heads removed, or been crushed by falling lighting fixtures.

Expect a cameo from just about everybody in this film. There are so many characters (some of which don't last very long) that there's space for a lot of names, like Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael J. Fox, Rod Steiger, Natalie Portman, and even Tom Jones as Tom Jones. The movie makes no apologies as it irreverently brings the "B" sci-fi movie of the past into the CGI of the "present." It is just too bad that in the end the stop motion Burton wanted for this film was too expensive, but the Martians are still fun to watch, in spite of that.

28. Alien (1979)

Well, I couldn't pass up the opportunity, especially on a sci-fi horror list, to put down my number one scariest flick of all. Alien is still the freakiest thing I've ever seen, and the xenomorph is one of the best creepy life-forms. Even after all this time, Alien feels relevant and even fresh. The suspenseful pacing is still effective, and the horror scenes remain horrific as the crew of the Nostromo get picked off one by one until just Signorney Weaver and the cat are left. (And thank God for that, I was really hoping the cat would make it ...)

Even the commercial for this movie was scary, carrying its now iconic tagline "In space, no one can hear you scream." Geiger's artistic style and vision create an environment that is both organic and mechanical, fusing odd elements to generate an unsettled feeling. And the alien? The monster first grabs you on the face, invades your guts, and then (immortalized in the unforgettable "busting out" scene) the creature explodes out your innards to start its new life. Who even knows what the thing is eating as it grows in size to seven feet high in the matter days. Don't cut it, cause it's blood is acid and could punch a hole through the hull and vent your craft into space. Just for grossness, it also drools goo and has two sets of jaws.

So if you haven't seen this one in a while, break it out and leave the lights on if necessary. It makes for perfect viewing at Halloween or anytime you need to remember what a genuinely scary movie feels like. Keep the cat close by.

Friday, October 27, 2017

It's time for a massive monster mash! Here are a few films filled with monsters that are good to break out during the Halloween season. None are horror per se (in fact these are really fantasy and sci-fi) but each is filled with bizarre creatures, and there are even a few genuinely scary moments here and there. So if you weren't over-saturated with monsters from The Cabin in the Woods, this is the place to be.

As always, many SPOILERS here.

23. Clash of the Titans (1981)

My love of 80's speculative films and my love of stop motion animation converge here in one seriously campy romp through the mythological past. Enter Perseus, son of Zeus, who gets embroiled in a plot to save the city of Joppa and its fair princess from the anger of the monstrous Calibos and his mother, the goddess Thetis. The plot isn't terribly important, nor does it bear particular resemblance to myth (after all we encounter a mechanical golden owl made by Hephaestus, indeed we have to put up with the freaking thing through half the movie) but there are plenty of monsters and such to be had. (Note that I haven't seen the remake of this film, which is fine since I can't imagine it could be this much goofy fun.)

We begin with Calibos himself, who was cursed by Zeus for hunting down his sacred winged horses, leaving only Pegasus. Then there's the giant vulture that carries Andromeda's spirit about the swamp, the Stigian Witches who share one eye between them as they cook someone in their bubbling caldron, and a two headed dog nominally guarding the gorgon Medusa. Medusa is of course a monster mix on her own, as she has writhing snakes for hair. After Perseus nabs her head, there are some giant scorpions to defeat (along with Calibos) and then they have to take care of the Kraken itself. Not bad for a monster mix.

It isn't even a little scary (although the scenes with Medusa have a reasonable creep factor), but the animation is great fun, and the monsters have some fine personality. So put this movie in your Halloween rotation as a good creature feature!

24. Heavy Metal (1981)

Now you are wondering what I'm really up to. But seriously, I count 1981's Heavy Metal as both a monster movie and horror, at that. Have you seen it recently? If you can get past the sophomoric, juvenile need for busty babes in every scene, there is some truly creepy creature weirdness to be had in this film. Not to mention the animation is fascinating and the soundtrack is actually pretty rocking.

The plot here is exceptionally loose. A framing device was used to tie together mini-stories that otherwise have no relationship to one another. The only commonality is the malevolent green orb known as the Loc-Nar. This orb narrates its past conquests to a terrified girl, and each of these becomes a vignette in the film. Having already melted her astronaut father to mush, the orb recounts stories such as how it converted plane-loads of soldiers into zombies, created war on several planets, and influenced people to act in malicious and evil ways. Most stories are populated with a variety of monsters and weird alien creatures that keep things interesting even when the plot flags.

It is the utter unknown that makes this movie so unsettling, as you can't even guess what's going to happen next, and it's usually something violent or otherwise unpleasant. Animation lets you do pretty much anything you want, and in this case it runs wild. So break out this old flick and see if its weird worlds and creepy creatures are what you need for a bit of Halloweeny viewing.

25. Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King (2003)

Of course the Lord of the Rings trilogy is filled with fantastic monsters of all kinds, as well as some moments of true horror. I wanted to pick one film in particular, not just point to the whole series, but this is indeed tough. Still, this third and last installment seems to have tipped the balance on terrifying creatures.

So the first film has goblins, a cave troll, and then a demon known as a Balrog. This in addition to the usual orcs, the quasi-monster Gollum, and then of course the terrifying Nazgul that are in all the films. But the third movie has a few extra special monster encounters. We start by learning Gollum's story - a once normal hobbit-ish person who was corrupted and cursed by the Ring to murder his only friend. Then we end the film with Gollum's demise, a twisted moment of glee before the flames of Mount Doom take him as well as the Ring. In the meantime, Aragorn has to obtain the help of the Dead Men of Dunharrow, ghost-skeletons of men who betrayed Aragon's ancestor Isildur, and who have been haunting the countryside for centuries. Then there is an up close battle with the Witch-King, leader of the Nazgul, whom Eowyn finally dispatches.

Finally, and what really makes the most monstery list for me, is the encounter that Frodo and Sam have with the giant spider Shelob. This is a freakish and terrifying sequence, where Frodo finds himself lost in the webs, and only survives because loyal Sam shows up at just the right moment. It's all quite gruesome and gross, which makes it perfect for a Halloween creature feature. So depending on the amount of time you have for seasonal movie viewing (the extended versions of the trilogy add up to like 13 hours of film) put one or all of these fine monster movies on your list.

J.A. Grier is a planetary scientist, poet, educator, fiction writer, and paper artist. Dr. Grier has penned and published: scientific papers and abstracts, a textbook entitled "Inner Planets" for undergraduates, more than three dozen poems, as well as speculative short stories and astronomy education materials. A fan of sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and the just plain strange, Dr. Grier is currently seeking publication homes for two novels as well as a book of childhood horror poetry. Another textbook, this one for graduate students, is in the works.

Websites, Resources

The Inevitable Fine Print

All content on the blog/webpage "One Writer's Mind" is copyrighted. All rights are reserved by the author. Read the page "OWM Copyright Regulations" for more information. Infringement of copyright will be subject to appropriate legal action. Everything on this blog is only my opinion. It is not the opinion of anyone else or of any institution with whom I may be associated.